Greatest Hits, Volume I

Now that my weeklong work hiatus is nearly over, I thought it might be fun to look back and reflect on some of the cool things that I’ve done over the course of my advertising career. Nine years, all told. It’s scary to think that I’ve been doing this that long.

While there have been a ton of successful projects along the way, that’s not what this list is about; that’s what resumes are for. Instead, this is about all the perks the job has afforded me. Here are the top ten…

10. The Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows - Houston, TX
You never forget your first dog show. If you’ve ever seen Best In Show, then you should have a feel for what these things are about. Once you have that image, then you need to realize that Christopher Guest’s take on the world of dog shows wasn’t far from reality. I don’t care what anyone says, nothing can ever quite prepare you for the first time you see a Pomeranian dressed as a mariachi standing on its hind legs and riding on the back of a remote control pickup truck. Dead serious.

9. TV Commercial Shoot - Kansas City, MO
I’ve had the fortune of being on set for a few commercial shoots, but one of my favorites was when we were shooting the pets owned by a few of the members of the Kansas City Chiefs. We shot down in the locker room at Arrowhead and I had the chance to meet a number of the players. Funniest moment was when Eric Hicks brought his chocolate lab onto the set. If you haven’t had the chance to stand toe-to-toe with an NFL defensive end, then you need to realize how absolutely huge these guys are. When he walked his dog into position and told him in a booming voice to “sit,” I swear the entire crew stopped what they were doing and half of them were ready to sit as well. The dog, naturally, complied. Hicks was also probably one of the most docile guys you could ever meet…off the field, I’m sure.

8. Global Conference - Las Vegas, NV
Call it a boondoggle if you must, but we had a crew of nine in attendance at a four day global conference our client holds every year. If you haven’t spent four days in Las Vegas, then you’ll never know the serious pain that can inflict on a body. All in the name of client entertainment, of course. Highlights include some fantastic meals and late nights at places like the House of Blues Foundation Room in Mandalay Bay and Pure at Caesar’s Palace. The best part was probably the poolside hangover recovery cabana we booked one afternoon at the Paris. Nothing like a few client meetings with a tall bloody mary in hand.

7. South Beach - Miami, FL
There are plenty of benefits of having a client that’s headquartered in a place like Miami and taking advantage of South Beach is one of them. My first trip down, I was able to convince my boss to let me stay down on the Beach at the Delano. That night was a whirl of seafood and alcohol (including a champagne flute of Patron that nearly killed me) and the next day was one of the most painfully memorable hangovers I’ve ever had in my life. When trying to work my way through the late night/early morning session of driving the porcelain bus, the thought did cross my mind of wondering how many supermodels and trashy stars had been on their hands and knees in front of the same toilet bowl doing the exact same thing I was doing. Not one of my prouder moments, but a funny one nonetheless.

6. NFL Headquarters - New York, NY
With having a satellite office in New York — though that office could hardly be considered that anymore given how much it’s grown these past three years — I was able to truly discover and enjoy the intoxicating buzz of the Big Apple during my last gig. On one such visit we had a meeting at the NFL headquarters, which was like visiting a museum to everything I hold dear as a football fanatic. My only regret is that I never had the chance to make my appeal to the commissioner regarding the revamp of NFL overtime rule.

The top five to come tomorrow…